Stolen
Standard Disclaimers Apply
Warning: This fanfiction contains shounen-ai/yaoi contents, in other words, male/male relationship. If you find the said contents disturbing, I suggest you leave this page immediately. You've been warned, so please don't flame me about that. (Also it's un-beta-ed.)
Pairing: Vincent/Sephiroth. Minor Zack/Cloud.
Note: Firstly, I've to thank you for the reviews in the last chapter. And as for this chapter, it's, as promised, longer than the prologue although it didn't come out as what I first planned to write. But with me, things change a lot with planning and really writing, so…yeah, I'm a bad planner, admitted without doubt. XP
Chapter I: Yesterday's Whisper
Reflection of the crescent moon in the black water rippled, blurring away as the ebony ship, whose name was damned to the deepest of the deep flaming abyss, sailed past, bringing along with it the scent of pure despair that words alone couldn't accurately deciphered. The accurse name of the ship itself was so vivid; painted all in crimson-red…just like the color of blood. Yet, as the enormous vessel silently sailed the calm ocean, the night seemed to grow old so quickly as if the ship itself was the demon that brought the darkness to the earth.
Night wind wheezed softly, playing livelily with the vessel's ragged sails, sending the tattered hems flying. The topmast flag also danced and waved on its on accord.
Red-wine eyes stared unblinkingly past the veil of darkness that stretched itself before him. Off into the distance, he could make out a glimpse of lights where it came from the city's living residence. Unlike the tall lighthouse, where he had to avoid being detected by, those little lights were a welcomed sign.
As the ship finally came close enough to the shore, it was pulled to a halt and properly anchored—its monstrous form looming over the sandy beach like a blanket of threatening shadow that seemed so difficult to penetrate. And from the shadow emerged another shadow. Red-wine eyes scanned the area to make sure it was devoid of occupants. When seeing none, the owner of such extraordinary eyes swiftly leapt into the thick gathering of trees, blending into the perfect shade of the night with one destination set in his mind:
The Royal Palace.
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Finding the way to sneak in was nothing hard, for he had known this place like the back of his hand, remembered it not with just his brain but with the whole of his heart...even the musty smell of the old barracks—now used instead as jails—where faint trace of yesterday's ginger ale was still lingering seemed more than just familiar…
The light was dim, just like always and the sound of footsteps of the nightly patrol could be heard from the distance. Some of the old chandeliers hung loosely from its chain, slightly swaying like a pushed pendulum—the rusty chains made soft clinking sounds as they suspended from the high ceiling.
Being here indeed brings back old memories…
Closing his eyes, even for a brief moment, flashes of memories so long beyond years resurfaced in his mind, haunting him like some undying ghosts from the past…one of them being…himself.
He remembered being here the first time…when the barracks were still barracks, where soldiers and hired mercenaries sat, drinking and laughing and telling stories over their spicy-sweet liquors.
…It was just a day before he first met her.
"Hey, well done, Joe. It's my shift now. Go home and have some decent sleep with your dear sweet Susie. I heard something big is coming up for tomorrow. Oh, and tell Susie, I say hi."
The pirate's eyes snapped open, hearing another guard come to change for the nightly watch.
"Thanks, Graham. I'll tell Susie you call her 'sweet'."
"Jesus, no! I was just kidding, ya know!"
The pirate watched from his careful perch on the good chandelier as the two guards busied themselves in their friendly conversation. This was just too easy.
"Aye, aye. Just go home, alright? Good night and the end. Go!"
And when they weren't paying attention, the red eyed-man, making as less noise as possible, swung from the chandelier, hoisting himself up—his dark red cloak flapping—toward the second storey where he knew would lead him out of the barracks toward the Palace's mural great hall.
For a moment, he was sure one of the still awake prisoners saw him yet he did nothing about it, for the prisoner himself knew it clearly to his heart; whatever he said would never be enough to free him from his tomorrow's fate.
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"You're still awake?" asked a quite-astonished female voice as its speaker carefully swung the door to the great library open—a blazing lantern dangling in one of her small hands. The brown haired-maiden was clad already in a flowery pink night gown yet she didn't forget to put the plain maroon coat on, knowing it was more proper wandering out of her chamber in such inappropriate hour.
"Lady Gainsborough." The General greeted, looking up from the yellow paged-book, which topped the tall pile of many other books on the lacquered desk, he was reading.
"Aeris." The brown haired-female insisted as she placed her lantern down on the nearby desk, folding her delicate arms across her chest. "There're just the two of us. No need to be formal, you know."
The long haired-man merely raised one elegant silver brow at her in response.
"Oh, come on, Sephiroth!" Aeris huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "If you want to act so cold toward your 'little sister', then fine! Be like that!" She then stuck her tongue out at him.
"Now, that is not a way a fine lady should behave, Lady Gainsborough," came a chilled-to-the-core reply.
Aeris gave him a sinister dead glare…or at least tried to. Yet for such a sweet being, to manage such a very-close-but-not-quite glare was an attempt worth worshipping and being paid a bazillion.
The General sighed.
"Fine, then, Aeris. What are you doing here?"
The young maiden's pout then turned into a sweet smile, which turned into a grin as she approached the silver haired-man on the chair behind the lacquered desk—her slippers rustling against the grayish marble floor. "And what keeps the almighty General away from his beautiful sleep?" She asked, leaning over—her hands behind her back—to look at the page he was reading. The text was written so close together—awfully tangled—and she had to squint to understand what it said.
"Pirate's tales?" She asked, emerald eyes widening in surprise. "I thought you were doing some kind of big research here."
"A research, it is." Sephiroth said and he would stop at that if it wasn't for the look his 'little sister' was giving him. "I have got an order to capture Vincent Valentine for the sentence of his deeds."
"Vincent Valentine?" Aeris gasped, eyes widening even more. "That's…" She stared at him, then at the book before shaking her head. "Who ordered this?"
"The order is directly from Shinra himself." The General said, seeing Aeris frown. "But I think Hoj…my father had more than just a hand in this…" The man then grew quiet as he seemed to be pondering about something; even the look in his glowing eyes seemed so distant as if his thought was anywhere but here. And Aeris knew better than to question him any further as she too grew quiet, watching him intently.
Eventually, when the silence peak the bleakest—even the dancing flame in Aeris' lantern seemed to dim—the General spoke up in his usual deep voice, startling the girl out of her trance. "So…can you tell me now what you are doing here, Aeris?"
She looked at him, blinking innocently. "It's natural for the sister to be worried about her own brother."
Sephiroth returned her his gaze, standing up to his full towering height. "Now that your business is over, shall I escort you back to your chamber?"
It was more of a statement than a question as a minute later, Aeris found herself being dragged by an arm out of the great library without having any good chance of protesting.
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The air outside was quite chilly and Aeris had to pull her maroon coat more tightly around her while her companion didn't seem to have a problem at all. Yet despite the unpleasant coldness, as they walked down the frescoed hall, the ringing sound of laughter could be heard echoing from the above floor. And instantly, the brown haired-maiden was reminded of tonight's play.
"Sounds like a very good play. This is not fair!" She suddenly spoke up when another wave of laughter resounded through the hall. "Why aren't we women invited?" She sulked for a little while before finally, a thought occurred to her and she stopped walking. "Sephiroth, you have a ticket, right?" She looked up at him hopefully. "Since you are not going…"
"The content of the play isn't suitable for ladies, Aeris." Sephiroth immediately cut in, knowing exactly what she was thinking.
"Oh, come on! It's not like it's going to hurt, is it?" She persisted.
Sephiroth gave her a stern look. "I thought you were out looking for me."
Aeris halted…before giving him a sheepish grin.
The General's glare became even more piercing, signifying the end of their conversation to the dismay of the brown haired-girl and he, without a word, resumed to 'escort' the Gainsborough maiden back to her place.
"Make sure the lady stay in her chamber the rest of the night." He told the two guards standing on each side of the chamber doorway.
"Sir, yes, sir." The two guards did a salute, thumping their long spears on the floor simultaneously at once to indicate that the order was going to be strictly followed.
As the silver haired-man turned his back on the lady's chamber door and walked a good ten feet away, he swore he could still hear the girl's voice demanding her leave to the two unmoving guards. Of course, the two guards wouldn't let her pass. Still… the General shook his head. His little sister was just too stubborn.
"…"
His footsteps came to a sudden halt—even the slightest of the thumping sound of his leather boots ceased—as electric green eyes, narrowing, abruptly darted toward the ceiling. Cat-like pupils grew wide as he tried to penetrate what was concealed behind the stretching curtain of darkness. And a glimpse of something gold and shiny was the first thing that caught his attention.
"What business does an uninvited rat have in this old palace that he deems ignorant, especially in such an untimely hour of the night?"
In one fluid movement, the legendary sword, Masamune was out of its sheath. There was a flash of silver and…in a blink; the sword was pressed against the flesh of his enemy's throat…
"Very sharp," came a deep voice, which sounded so smooth and calm as if he was having the upper hand of this dangerous encounter.
…The intruder was standing behind him with gun also pointed at the nape of his neck.
The silver haired-man twisted his weapon a little, so that the reflection if the man behind was shown on the blade of Masamune. It was a pale man with long tousled hair the color of midnight-black and eyes the color of blood—the color same as his cape. Unmistakably…
"You…" The feature of this man was vividly described in the books he had read, in the stories he had heard. It was all too obvious, all too easy as if it was an unbelievable lie. "You are Vincent Valentine."
"…You don't seem so surprise, General Sephiroth."
"What do you want?"
"I would like your cooperation."
The silver haired-man raised an eyebrow. The other man's tone was surprisingly polite. Yet, Sephiroth was not an amateur at the art of deception and he knew better than to let outer appearance, let alone the enemy's politeness, fool him. So he just waited in silence for the red eyed-man to deliberate his purpose.
Cat-like green eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed at the reflection, meeting squarely without any trace of fear the other's red, red eyes.
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Her eyes…
It was her eyes that he saw in the cold reflection. Different in shape and color yet it was her eyes all the same. Her eyes…her nose…her lips… It was painful. So painful just to will the itching of his no-more-human hand not to touch those flowing silvery threads just to feel if they were as soft as those brown he had long before felt.
He had raided, he had killed, he had assassinated.
He had sinned.
But what kind of punishment could be at the same time sweet and torturing as this?
Lucrecia…
Even their hair smelled the same…sweet and intoxicating like wine and cherry. How he'd love to inch closer and savor himself in that nostalgic fragrance that reminded him of his fresher days—those days before he had lost, had been stolen away everything…
"I would like you to come with me." The very same thing he had said years before escaped his lips once again.
In the reflection, he saw another reflection and that reflection was her.
"What if I refuse?" The words formed from those very same pair of lips.
It is…yet it isn't you.
It was and it wasn't, for the answer was the total opposite.
Real but wasn't real. Heard but wasn't heard.
Like a whisper of yesterday that was so faint…and became just nothingness the second…minute…and day after.
"…Then, Lady Gainsborough will have to board my ship instead."
Swiftly, the enraged General swept his sword in one neat, deadly arc. Had his opponent had his agility and stealth only a level lower, he would certainly have lost his head.
With a swish of his red cape, the legendary pirate managed to dodge the fatal blow, leaving only a clean cut on the right side of his neck where the sharp blade tore the thick fabric. Yet, before the raven haired-pirate's first droplet of blood could even touched the floor, the deep wound began to close and in no time, it was healed, completely.
"…What are you?" The silver haired-man demanded slowly, fixing his gaze intently on the other man.
The raven haired-man shifted his gaze toward his metal arm for one brief moment before meeting the other man's electric green eyes.
"My name, General, is all I have."
And there was no any other word.
The General closed his eyes—silver brows creased—as he considered his options; his grip on the Masamune didn't loosen, though. And soon everything receded into sheer silence but the echoing laughter of those enjoying the play ringing from the higher floor.
Never-tiring slivers delivered the weak light from the crescent moon through the window-like slits of the lonely hallway, blessing the quiet two with such gentle caresses that seemed to erase every trace of ferociousness any of them possessed. For one moment, the cursed red eyed-man considered walking closer to the unmoving form, wanting nothing than to just touch…and feel.
Yet he refrained and stayed still. For he knew after this break of silence, the shadow of the woman he loved would be there no more.
And when the sound of distant laughter faded, the silence was also ended, for the General finally spoke up. His words; filled with pride and arrogance, still, rang clear into the aging night—not even one syllable was amiss.
"I am to board your ship."
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In her bed chamber, the sweet Lady Gainsborough was busy tying all the clothes she had in the room altogether into one extremely long rope, humming a soft tune to herself at her own brilliant idea. There was no way she was going to be a caged princess in the tower now that she had figured the way out. Now…all she had to do was find a few more pieces of clothes and everything would be perfect.
TBC
Actually, I planned to write a longer chapter than this but I feel like stopping here, so yes, I stopped here. It's an Alternate Universe but still, I want to keep them in characters as much as possible but saying is easy but doing is quite hard, especially with Sephiroth (since there's very little information of what he's like before he went insane). I hope they aren't too OOC.
Anyway, comments and reviews would still and always be more than just welcomed. :)